On choosing the MIB: I was working with a multinational FMCG company for the last three years in Asia. While the work was immensely fulfilling, it also made me want to explore the challenges of doing private sector development and business at the base of the pyramid, in frontier markets in sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia and the Indian subcontinent. I wanted a multidisciplinary master’s degree that could give me a business education against a rich tapestry of international development studies. I felt that Fletcher’s MIB degree was tailored to my needs, and that belief has been reaffirmed every step of the way so far. A huge part of this is the Fletcher community. It is amazingly warm, collaborative, and uniquely rich in perspective. My classmates’ personal experiences in the field of international development and affairs expand my understanding of geopolitical forces in the world every day. As I work with MIB, MALD, MA and LLM students in my classes, I find great value in us coming together with different approaches to address global problems.

On campus life: Fletcher is all about connecting the dots. My Mondays, which start with an intense corporate finance class and end with a seminar on rural development policy, are an indication of this. An average day here can consist of a couple of classes, a visiting President's talk, a Q&A with a US Supreme Court Justice, group work and a conference on Africa to plan. Additionally, living at Blakeley – the graduate residential hall – is a novel experience. With people of at least 50 nationalities sharing living space, everyday chores can lead to chance moments of discovery about different cultures and societies. On any given day, I could be learning traditional Greek dancing while hanging out with my Greek neighbor, or learning to bake pumpkin pie from an American neighbor. One of my fondest memories is of a freewheeling, late-night conversation with my Cameroonian and Indian neighbors about the evolution of African and Indian peoples in the global political economy.